Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies
by swaggyzebraTW
Summary: Shot seven of my predicted series of twelve. It's almost Christmas, and Clary had almost all of her Christmas shopping done. Almost. She had yet to find the perfect gift for Max Lightwood. Can Jace help her find the perfect present for his baby brother? Fluffy shot for Christmas, Clace-centric.


**AN: Okay, here is (hopefully) the much awaited seventh shot in my series of twelve. Guys, just so you know, I'm not getting nearly enough support for these shots. I'm putting in a decent enough effort to make them nice and lengthy, just to have almost no one review or anything. So please, take the time to review or something. Tell me that you want to continue. PM me if you like. Thank you to anyone who did on the previous stories. Anyway, I just wanted to say that this idea come to me while I was writing the previous shot, "When Christmas Comes to Town." I made Max get this gift from Clary, and I just wanted to explain it a little more. Also, I know Max is dead, but bear with me. Sometimes it's nice to think he's still alive.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Mortal Instruments**_**, all rights go to Cassie Clare and her people. **

I sat on my bed, a small leather-bound sketchbook spread across my lap. I had a pencil twirling between the fingers of my right hand, and occasionally the instrument tapped against my lip or drummed along a thigh. The pages ahead of me were empty-a first for an artist such as myself.

It was exactly a week before Christmas, and I had yet to get Max Lightwood a president. Dating Jace, and being close friends with the rest of the Lightwoods, I felt as though I had to do something special for the boy. What it was I would make him I had no clue, but he had always seemed intrigued by my art, and so I wanted to do something of that sort.

My first thought was to make him a large painting or picture to hang in his room, but that didn't seem right. The boy was into movie posters, and childish things, not abstract pieces of art that were worthy of his wall-space.

Max, being only like ten years old, was still in the toy stage. That being said, I wanted to get him something he could play with, or possibly read, maybe even both. He seemed to like manga, though I didn't want to just purchase one for him. I didn't have the ability to really write one either, or at least, not one that he would enjoy. I was no writer. I drew, and I painted.

So deep in thought, I hadn't heard my door creak open, or the footsteps that sounded as someone walked into my room. Only when the person sat down beside me and made the bed dip, did I look up, snapping out of my musings.

"What'cha drawing?" Jace asked, looking over my shoulder only to see the blank pages.

I shrugged. "I'm trying to come up with a Christmas present for Max."

"Going to draw him something?" He asked, trying to hide the fact that he was skeptical.

I nodded. "I think so, but I don't know what. I kinda want to do a book or a manga, but I don't know."

Jace looked as though he was about to speak again just when an idea flayed through my mind. I could make Max a picture book, one like nothing he has ever seen before. Holding up a free hand, I motioned for Jace to be quiet while I thought it through.

Surely, a regular children's book, with stagnant pictures and predictable characters, wouldn't please Max that much. But, if I could find a way to make the pictures _move_ along the pages, the book would instantly become so much more. Maybe there was a rune in the book, or I could create one, that would animate my drawings and make them come to life. If they moved along the pages, it could be a mixture of a film and a book. I could even add some text, which could also change as the book did.

Loving the idea, I told jace about it. "What if I made him a children's book?"

He raised an eyebrow. "The boy reads novels and manga twenty-four seven. No offense, but I don't think he'll be all that interested in a simple book for children."

I shook my head. "No, Jace! It wouldn't be a normal book. I could make the pictures _move_ across the pages using a rune. It would be like a movie and a book in one."

He cocked his head, clearly intrigued. "How do you plan on doing that? There's no rune in the book that could do anything of that sort…" Recognition passed across his features. "You think you could make a rune that could animate pictures?"

"The boy needs a Christmas present, and I think this would be perfect. All I have to do is come up with the right rune." I said, tapping the pencil against my lip once more.

"Easier said than done, right?"

I nodded. "I'm sure it will come to me eventually, though."

"Want to take a break for a little while as it 'comes to you?'" Jace asked, rubbing my back soothingly.

Another nod. "Sure, what did you have in mind?"

Jace cupped my face in his hands, turning my head so that it faced his. "How about a walk down through town? We could see all the lights they put up now that it's dark."

"That sounds great." I said, connecting my lips to his in a sweet kiss. "I would love that."

He picked me up off the bed, setting me down on the floor. We walked out of the bedroom, hand in hand, heading down the hallway and into the lobby. We then rode the elevator down to the main entrance, where we grabbed out coats and some gloves, and walked out into the night.

Jace hailed a taxi which took us into the center of town, and, tipping the cabbie, we stepped onto the sidewalk. Lights wound up around us, decorating every lamppost and telephone pole. Neon signs and paintings adorned every shop window, and various toy stores featured wonderful displays. "It's so beautiful." I marveled, leaning further into Jace.

He smiled. "I agree. It's hard to believe that such beauty can come from mundane-made inanimate objects."

Another lightbulb seemed to go off in my head, signaling another idea. This time, a rune seemed to imbed itself deep in my brain. It was beautiful, much like the scene of lights ahead of me, and it seems to state its ability was to animate. Apparently, Jace's words had the ability to spark my thoughts. "I know what rune I can use in the book!" I said excitedly, ignoring the odd looks onlookers gave me.

Jace chuckled a little. "What rune? Is it from the book after all?"

I shook my head, almost bouncing up and down with glee. "No, but it should animate my drawings and make them into moving pictures."

"And what gave you this wonderful idea for this rune?" He asked, looking confident in himself.

"You, probably." I admitted, seemingly shameless at the moment.

Jace smiled. "I have been considered inspirational by many. Now, can you finish the walk or do you need to write down the rune before it gets out of your head?"

I shrugged, looking down an ally to my right which was coated in a thin layer of snow. "I kinda want to try it out."

"How?" Jace asked. "We're in public."

A few more odd looks were sent in our direction at that. "Down that ally. I could draw in the snow, and see if it comes to life."

He grabbed my hand, pulling me down the darkened road of brick. Our footsteps were imprinted in the previously untouched snow, marking our path. About halfway down the dead-end, I squatted in the snow, pulling a stele out of my pocket.

Looking to Jace, I began to trace some shapes onto the frozen ground with my fingers, starting simple. When I was happy with the rough sketch of some trees and a boy with a kite, I drew my stele, and began to draw the rune above the scene. I started drawing the angelic rune, before adding a few more curls and lines, which eventually made up my special animating rune.

I stepped back, admiring my work with Jace. At first, nothing moved, though after a few more seconds, the scene began to come to life. The trees swayed with some unseen wind, their branches releasing a few leafy indentations. The boy, which had been little more than a stick figure when I drew him, became more detailed, and began to sprint, drawing the kite behind him. The toy took flight, quickly rising above the line of trees and into the air above.

I smiled widely, and Jace looked surprised. "It worked." He stated, dumbstruck. "It really worked."

I nodded. "Of course it worked. Were you doubting me?"

"No." He said, finally tearing his eyes away from the scene before him. "But I never thought anything like _that_ could be true. Max will love having a book like that."

"Jace, we live in a world were demons and werewolves and vampires and fairies are real. A moving picture book should come as no surprise to you." I said, still smiling like a madwoman.

I turned to leave, so that we could get back to gazing at the streetlights, but Jace grabbed my wrist. "What?"

"I feel as though something so beautiful shouldn't simply be left here, just to be covered up by the snow." He explained.

"I know." I agreed. "But it isn't like we can keep sitting here, watching it. Besides, I need to find some inspiration on what I should do for Max."

We both took one last loo at the boy running with his kite, seeing how he was already beginning to get covered in snow. His movements had snowed, and it looked as though he was struggling under the burden of snow. My drawing had become creepily realistic, with the simple help of that one rune.

Walking away from the dying scene, Jace and I emerged from the alleyway. People gave us more odd glances, probably assuming that we had been making out of something of the sort, but we continued on our way.

"How far do you want to go?" Jace asked, swinging our arms a little as we walked.

I thought about it. I really needed to get back to start drawing Max's Christmas present, but I was enjoying the time with Jace. With all of the training and demon hunting, we rarely got any alone time. We only had this week pretty much off because it was a major holiday that not many shadow-hunters took off. Having many mundane friends, it made sense for the Lightwoods to celebrate this time of year, and take a little time off. Given, if a demon was spotted in the area, we were still expected to take care of it, but otherwise, we had the time to do whatever we please.

"How about we go down to the main square, and then take a taxi ride back?"

"Sounds good." Jace answered, his attention turning to the holiday decor once more.

Snow was still falling, and it had wound its way into Jace's golden hair. I spotted a book in a shop store window behind him, which had a drawing of a few fairies dancing along with sugarplums. The sight sparked yet another idea in my mind.

I could make a story depicting the song, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies." It could be my own rendition, and I could even find some way to have the book play the song whenever opened. Surely, it would have the Christmas theme that I was looking for, and Max would find it relatable due to the stories he had heard of the shadow world. I instantly knew that this was what I would do for Max's present.

"I know what I'm going to have the book themed as." I stated, pausing at the entrance of the main square, looking at Jace.

"What?" Jace asked, smiling and genuinely curious.

"I'm going to do something about the song, 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.' You heard of it?"

He nodded. "Mundie Christmas song, right?"

"Yep. I'm just going to so a bunch of fairies singing and dancing around the house. Sound good?"

Another nod from Jace. "I think he'll love it, despite our generic hatred of fairies."

"You don't hate fairies." I stated. "You just hate how they can play games and beat you at them."

"Whatever. They still get under my skin, and that time they made you…"

I cut him off. "They were just amusing themselves, Jace, and it's over. No real harm done."

"They wanted us to kiss when we thought we were brother and sister." He stated.

"I know." I agreed. "But don't tell me you weren't happy with that decision in the end."

"I still loved you then." He said guiltily. "I never stopped, even when we found out."

I smiled, bringing my face closer to his. "I never stopped either. I tried to convince myself that it was wrong, and that I shouldn't, but deep down, I knew that I couldn't stop loving you."

"I love you, Clary." Jace said, bringing his lips to mine in a sweet kiss.

The contact was not passionate, or steamy. It was simply Jace's way of showing that he really cared for me, and that he wouldn't ever leave my side. His tongue never slipped into my mouth, and our lips only moved in short, staccato motions. My hands never left their spot on his neck, barely even playing with the soft hair on the nape. His fingers stayed still on my waist, holding me close enough that we shared body heat. "Love you too, Jace." I mumbled against his lips, my breath getting lost within his own lungs.

People cleared their throats around us, and a taxi honked. We pulled away, breathless, taking a final look around us. The square was filled decorated, lights and wreaths everywhere, with a main tree in the center of the circle that was weighed down by ornaments of every shape and color. There was an angel atop the tree, watching down over the square.

"I heard he grants wishes." Jace whispered into my ear when he caught that I was looking at the angel tree-topper.

Not bothering to answer Jace, I simply made a wish in my mind. "I hope for everyone in my family, all my friends included, to have the best of Christmas' and a Happy New Year."

Another honk sounded from behind us, snapping me back into the cool scene ahead of me. "I guess that's our ride." I said to Jace, pulling him towards the yellow vehicle.

He nodded, and we stepped into the taxi. The cabbie scowled, probably upset for us being in his way. "Where are you doing?" He practically growled, his frown lines and large jowls swinging as he spoke.

Jace read off the address to the Institute, and the driver gave us an odd look. "Isn't that the address for that large dump in the middle of town?"

"Yes." I said impatiently, forcing a smile. "But I assure you, it is probably better than you think it is."

"Doubt it." The man grumbled, pulling off the curb.

Jace grinned knowingly in my direction before whispering, "It's almost sad that no one else gets to see the true beauty of the Institute, don't you think?"

I nodded, in complete agreement.

~Line Break Marking A Time Lapse~

After Jace and I had arrived home, we had eaten dinner with the rest of the Lightwoods, which happened to be a lovely pork roast curtesy of Maryse. The meal had been eaten in silence, and soon after people finished, we all dispersed in our own ways, Jace following my up to my bedroom.

I had pulled out the small leather-bound once more, only this time I knew exactly how I would approach making Max's gift. I knew exactly what I would draw, and what story it would tell.

"Need any help?" Jace asked.

I tilted my head, pretending to be deep in thought. "I could use a nude model now that you mention it." I joked, knowing he would get the reference.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Jace said, rolling his eyes. "But seriously, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not really." I answered honestly. "You can just keep talking to me, though. That tends to help."

"I knew you loved the sound of my voice." He joked. "Do you want me to read to you?"

I smiled. "That'd be perfect."

He moved towards my small bookshelf on the wall. "Any preferences?"

"Emily Bronte?" I asked, my pencil already beginning to move along the page, making the outline of a fairy girl.

"Okay, Wuthering Heights it is."

He settled back down on the pillows of my bed, and I began to lay against him. He began to read in his most melodic voice, soothing me as my fingers moved faster and faster along the pages, drawing what would soon be a masterpiece for Max Lightwood.

**AN: Okay, not a huge fan of that. Read "When Christmas Comes to Town" if you want to see Max opening the present, and please review. REMEMBER WHAT I SAID IN THE PREVIOUS AUTHOR'S NOTE, and THANK YOU for reading. Shot 8 should be out Wednesday, if I stick to the schedule. **


End file.
